A multimedia conference system typically allows multiple participants to communicate and share different types of media content in a collaborative and real-time meeting over a network. The multimedia conference system may display different types of media content using various graphical user interface (GUI) windows or views. For example, one GUI view might include video images of participants, another GUI view might include presentation slides, yet another GUI view might include text messages between participants, and so forth. In this manner various geographically disparate participants may interact and communicate information in a virtual meeting environment similar to a physical meeting environment where all the participants are within one room.
Recording is a core component of many multimedia conference systems as it provides asynchronous access to the content and proceedings of a meeting. High level usage scenarios include creating training material or prepared presentations for reuse or broad distribution, preserving material and context for an absent attendee, archiving for offline note-taking or preserving discussions, and archiving content for compliance with various rules and laws. Such usage scenarios are typically driven by the assumption that meeting content and discussions have value beyond the meeting, and therefore could be preserved for access and use afterwards. Consequently, improvements to recording management techniques may enhance the value of recordings for these and other usage scenarios.